The difference, by ear
Deathrock is the American parallel: faster, punkier, played on a real kit, and camp where British goth is romantic.
Both are sung cleanly, but gothic rock is slower: 90 to 130 bpm against 140 to 180. To hear the difference, play Christian Death next to Bauhaus. Deathrock grew out of gothic rock.
In figures
Deathrock
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Gothic rock › Deathrock
In short
The American version, more punk and more theatrical, with tribal drums and horror-movie imagery.
How it sounds
- Tribal drumming with heavy toms and bass up front.
- Guitar with tremolo and surf reverb, but in minor keys.
- Theatrical, near-recitative vocals with horror-film imagery.
Key acts
- Christian Death
- 45 Grave
- Kommunity FK
Start here
The pickChristian Death - Only Theatre of Pain. Rozz Williams was nineteen when he wrote it.
Full page →Gothic rock
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Gothic rock
In short
Post-punk with reverb, chorused guitar and a baritone voice. Its aesthetic passes straight into gothic metal and doom.
How it sounds
- Guitar with chorus and flanger, thin and cold, drenched in reverb.
- Melodic bass up front; some bands use a drum machine instead of a drummer.
- Baritone vocals, often declaimed, with literary and funereal lyrics.
Key acts
- Bauhaus
- The Sisters of Mercy
- The Cure
- Fields of the Nephilim
Start here
The pickBauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead. Nine minutes that founded an entire subculture.
Full page →